SAGE Featured Faculty Journal Articles

Stay abreast of research on aging by engaging with our curated list of published peer-reviewed journal articles. To the degree possible, research from the SAGE Collaboratory and other Baylor faculty will be highlighted so that we are aware of each other’s efforts in this field. Open to students, faculty, staff, and community professionals. Join the SAGE Collaboratory as we read recommended articles each month. Find the 2025 - 2026 curated reading list of Baylor faculty research below.

August 2025

•  A peer mentoring program for Chinese American dementia caregivers: A pilot randomized controlled trial 
  Aging & Mental Health
  Jinyu Liu, PhD, MSW, MA 
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Association of physical activity and physical functioning phenotypes with fall risk among women 
   Journal of Aging and Health 
  Kelly Ylitalo, PhD, MPH 
  Public Health, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University

September 2025

• A qualitative analysis of virtues and strengths in persons living with dementia informed by the values in action framework 
  Dementia: International Journal of Social Research and Practice 
  Jocelyn Shealy McGee, PhD, MA, MSG 
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Daily energy expenditure through the human life course 
  Science 
  Samuel Urlacher, PhD, MA 
  Anthropology, College of Arts & Sciences, Baylor University 

October 2025

• Midlife gender discrimination and later-life cognition: Results from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the United States
  Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences 
  Matthew A. Andersson, PhD, MA
  Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences, Baylor University
• The Church and older adults at times of natural or human disaster
  Social Work and Christianity 
  James Ellor, PhD, DMin, MSW, MDiv
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University  

November 2025

• Work Life Stress and Career Resilience of Licensed Nursing Facility Administrators
  Journal of Applied Gerontology 
  Dennis Myers, PhD, MSSW
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Predictors of older adults’ personal and community mobility: Using a comprehensive theoretical mobility framework
  The Gerontologist 
  Renee Umstattd Meyer, PhD, MCHES, FAAHB
  Public Health, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University  

December 2025

• Aging Adults’ willingness, preferences, and access to self-hypnosis for sleep: A cross-sectional survey
  International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis
  Gary Elkins, PhD, ABPP
  Psychology & Neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences, Baylor University
• Resilience mediates the effects of self-care activation and hope on medication adherence in heart failure patients
  Research in Nursing & Health 
  Rebecca Meraz, PhD, MSN, RN, CCRC, CHFN-K
  Louise Herrington School of Nursing, Baylor University  

January 2026

• The influence of spirituality on professional identity, role performance, and career resilience among nursing home social workers
  Journal of Gerontological Social Work
  Rob Rogers, PhD, MSSW, MRE
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Occupational therapy to improve activities of daily living of people with Parkinson’s disease
  The American Journal of Occupational Therapy 
  Barbara Doucet, PhD, MHS, OTR
  Occupational Therapy, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University 

February 2026

• Alzheimer’s disease susceptibility in African American elders: A classification and regression tree (CART) analysis approach
  Journal of Social & Health Sciences
  Sungseek Moon, PhD, MSW, MA, MDiv
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Where does it hurt? A 4-S model of pain onset and recovery across body sites among older adults
  The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 
  Markus Schafer, PhD, MA
  Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences, Baylor University

March 2026

• Exploring the opportunities and challenges of a virtual community-based older adult fall prevention program during COVID-19
  Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation
  Kayla Collins,  EdD, MOT, OTR
  Occupational Therapy, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University
• Perceived benefit or burden? How positive and negative spiritual/religious coping impacts family caregivers of people with dementia
  The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences 
  Edward C. Polson, PhD, MSW, MDIV
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University

April 2026

• The paradox of informal caregiving: Benefits and harms to mental health in the context of sense of divine control
  The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
  Laura Upenieks, PhD, MA
  Sociology, College of Arts & Sciences, Baylor University
• The state of the science on the health benefits of blueberries: A perspective
  Frontiers in Nutrition 
  April Stull, PhD, RDN, FAND
  Human Sciences & Design, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University

May 2026

• Religious congregations as social services providers for older adults
  Religion, Spirituality, and Aging
  Stephanie Boddie, PhD, MSW
  Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University
• Influencing perception of frailty risk in urban and rural older adults
  Physical & Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics
  Susan Blair, OTD, OTR, BCPR, BCG, CDCS
  Occupational Therapy, Robbins College of Health & Human Sciences, Baylor University

Submit an Article for Future Reading Lists

To be considered for the 2026 - 2027 Reading List, please submit your peer-reviewed journal article to us for review on or before May 1, 2026. Submit your article via email to Jocelyn_McGee@baylor.edu. 

Other Work at Baylor Focused on Health and Aging

Faculty across disciplines work together at Baylor University to advance awareness and best practices in health and aging. To discover more about the commitment and research interests interdisciplinary faculty have on this topic, read a White Paper on Health and Aging that was created by a team of researchers here at Baylor University in 2024.